Noise making repeating water gun



Jam. 30, 1968 s. BUTLER ETAL NOISE MAKING REPEATING WATER GUN 2 Sheets-Shee't 2 Filed on. 18, 1965 [OW/4R0 Q GHQ/AN fihiifidd Patented Jan. 1%, 1968 3,365,338 NGHSTL MAKENG REPEATHNG WATER GUN Stanley C. Butler, M876 Penn Ave, San Lorenzo, (Calif. 94530, and De Lass L. Marsh, 2112 Revere Ava, Hay ward, Calif. 94544 Filed Oct. 18, 1965, filer. No. 497,293 8 @lairns. (Cl. 46-475) This invention is directed to a noise rnakin repeating water gun and particularly to a noise making gun which can be operated both with and without water and yet have noise making characteristics.

Water guns are well known in the art, and such guns are of a number of different designs. Such designs include single shot guns, wherein all of the water in the gun is contained in the cylinder to be discharged, multiple shot guns wherein a reservoir is provided and multiple actuations of a piston provides multiple water discharges from the gun nozzle. in the latter case, there are the more conventional guns wherein reciprocation of the operating mechanism by finger action on the gun trigger produces multiple discharges and those few guns where rotation of an operating handle causes a cam to reciprocate the water discharge piston. In none of these guns is there any noise making function to go along with the discharge of water therefrom. Furthermore, these guns are all primarily arranged for use with Water so that without the presence of water therein they are completely ineffective in provid ing more than the appearance of a gun.

Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide a noise making water gun which both produces repeating sounds and produces multiple water discharges when there is water in the reservoir of the gun.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a noise making repeating water gun which makes repetitive noise even in the absence of water therein.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a noise making water gun which has a rotary operating mechanism which drives cam structure and such cam structure repeatedly both makes sound and operates a water discharge piston for the repeated production of sound, and repeated water discharge when there is water in the gun reservoir.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a piston driving cam which is operative to make sound and drive the piston in one direction, and does not cause damage to the internal structure when driven in the other direction.

It is another object of this invention to provide a noise making repeating water gun which acts as a noise making gun both with and without water discharge therefrom, and provides such a gun of economic and useful construction and having long life.

Other objects and advantages of this invention will become apparent from a study of the following portion of this specification, the claims and the attached drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of the noise making repeating water gun of this invention;

FIG. 2 is a partial, enlarged section taken generally vertically along the longitudinal direction thereof;

FIG. 3 is a partial section taken generally vertically along the longitudinal direction of another embodiment of the noise making repeating water gun of this invention;

FIG. 4 is a section taken generally along the line 44 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a partial left side elevational view of the further embodiment of the noise making repeating water gun of this invention; and

FIG. 6 is a side elevational view of the cam used in this embodiment of the Water gun.

As an aid to understanding this invention it can be stated in essentially summary form that it is directed to a noise making repeating water gun. The water gun of this invention has general configuration of a conventional gun, and may be formed to appear either as a repeating pistol, a shoulder held gun or a tripod mounted gun or other configuration. The noise making repeating water gun has a reservoir therein adapted to supply water to a cylinder which discharges the water in repeating bursts from the muzzle end of the gun. The operating mechanism comprises a crank or the rotary drive structure externally of the gun for operation by the gun user. This rotary drive structure extends internally of the gun and turns a cam. The cam has at least one lobe thereon. The cam lobe acts to withdraw the water discharge piston from the cylinder, and at a certain point of rotation of the cam, the piston is released so that it may be driven back into the cylinder. Piston drive means comprises a spring which has one end mounted in the stationary gun structure and the other end engaged upon the piston. Furthermore, the spring is mounted within a sounding chamber and is arranged so that when the cam releases the piston the spring drives the piston forward and at the terminal part of the motion engages against the side of the sound ing chamber to make a sharp sound. The forward portion, or barrel portion of the gun comprises a reservoir. A cylinder is mounted in the reservoir. The cylinder has a nozzle discharge port at the front end thereof and an inlet port at the side. When the piston is Withdrawn from the cylinder, it is outward past the inlet port so that the cylinder gravitationally fills. Thus, reciprocation of the piston causes repeated water discharges from the nozzle discharge of the cylinder.

In the further embodiment of the water gun, as is shown in FIGS. 4 through 6, the water discharge structure is the same as in the preferred embodiment. However, the noise making cam has axial cam steps thereon and these cam steps successively engage with and release a sounding board integrally formed but flexible with respect to the receiver. The sounding board strikes the magazine to make repetitive sounds.

This invention will be understood in greater detail by reference to the following portion of this specification wherein the drawings are described. Referring now to FIG. 1, the noise making repeating water gun of this invention is generally indicated at lil. Gun 10 has the general outline configuration of a shoulder held repeating gun. Thus, it has stock 12, hand grip l4, trigger guard 16, receiver 18, magazine 20, barrel 2'2 and forward hand grip 24.

It is clear that these various parts are identified by their functional names in a real, operative weapon. Furthermore, it is clear that the several parts can be rearranged, modified or omitted so as to provide a noise making repeating water gun it) of a different external appearance, without departing from the functional characteristics of this invention. Thus, the external configuration shown in gun 10 is merely illustrative and the structure may be employed in a repeating hand gun, a shoulder held repeating gun of different configuration, or in a tripod mounted gun or the like. Furthermore, while the several parts have been identified by their functional names in a conventional weapon, they do not necessarily serve for the same functional purpose in the gun lit. For example, magazine 20 is a multiple supply of loaded cartridges in a conventional gun, while in the gun It) magazine 2t? serves as a sounding box. for the noise making capabilities of gun iii.

Barrel 22 is substantially closed so as to provide a water reservoir 26. Reservoir 26 has a top 23. Top 28 has a water fill opening 38 so that water may be placed therein. Reservoir 26 also has a back wall 32 which prevents water from entering into the mechanical operating structure of gun 10. At the bottom of reservoir 26, tube 34 is formed integrally with bottom wall 36 so as to define a water jet discharge passage. Tube 34 has back wall 38 and is open at muzzle end 40 of gun 10.

Cylinder 42 is positioned to extend through opening 44 in back wall 32 and opening 46 in wall 38. Cylinder 42 has a cylindrical bore 48 which is open for full diameter from piston end 50 to nozzle orifice 52. Nozzle orifice 52 extends into tube 34. Cylinder 42 has inlet openings 54 and 56 through the walls thereof so that reservoir 26 is in open communication therethrough to the interior of the cylinder defined by bore 48. Openings 54 and 56 are toward the end of cylinder 42 more closely adjacent nozzle orifice 52, but are spaced therefrom. Openings 54 and 56 are sufficiently large so as to permit quick gravity flow of water from reservoir 26 into the interior of cylinder 42.

Positioned within cylinder 42 is piston 58. Piston 58 has a cylindrical exterior surface throughout a major portion of its length which reasonably, closely engages cylindrical bore 48. An easy slip fit is provided, so that piston 58 can work in bore 48 and yet provide a minimum of leakage of water out of piston end 50. Piston 58 has face 60 which enters into bore 48 past openings 54 and 56 to the point where the bore 48 reduces to terminate in nozzle orifice 52. As is hereafter described, piston 58 is withdrawn sufiiciently far that face 68 is withdrawn past openings 54 and 56 and is shown in dotted lines. In this position the water can flow into the openings 54 and 56 and into the end of the cylinder. Piston 58 carries a head 62 of cylindrical form and of larger diameter than the piston portion of piston 58.

Hollow, substantially rectangular magazine 20 has a front wall 64 and a rear wall 66. Spring securing means '68 is secured adjacent rear wall 66. Magazine 20 is open at the top into receiver 18 and is open at the bottom. Side walls are provided to enclose the sides of magazine 20 and to make it a proper resonance chamber.

Leaf spring has a fixed leg 72 which lies between spring securing means 68 and rear wall 66. Spring 70 also has a striking leg 74 which lies against the inside of wall 64 by means of internal spring stress when the spring is not deflected, in the position shown in full lines in FIG. 2. Spring 70 has an engaging end 76 which engages over head 62 to urge piston 58 to the right, to the solid line position shown.

Drive shaft 78 is mounted through receiver 18 and carries crank 80 on the exterior of the receiver. Thus, by actuation of crank 80, shaft 78 rotates. Cam 82 is mounted on shaft 78 to rotate with shaft 78. Cam 82 is mounted on the interior of receiver 18 between the walls thereof and is arranged so that its plane substantially contains the cylindrical axis of piston 58. Cam 82 has a cylindrical exterior surface 84 which is of such diameter with respect to piston head 62 that there is a slight clearance therebetween. Cam 82 also has drive lug 86 positioned thereon and extending past cylindrical surface 84. The

'outer surface 88 of cam lug 86 is such that it just clears the exterior cylindrical surface of piston 53. Drive face 90 is planar and is parallel to a radial line extending from the center of shaft 78 through the center of lug 86. Back face 92 is also planar and is parallel to face 90. More than one drive lug 86 can be provided on cam 82, and in FIG. 2 drive lugs 94 and 96 are also indicated. As is shown, drive lugs 86, 94 and 96 are equally spaced around cam 82. A smaller or larger number than three such drive lugs can be used, as long as there are not so many that the succeeding drive lug does not interfere with the action of piston 58 resulting from the operation of the previous drive lug.

The back face 92 is preferably parallel to the drive face 90 so that inadvertent reverse rotation of cam 82 does not cause damage to the gun operating structure. Instead, reverse rotation of cam 82 is prevented by engagement of the face 92 with spring engaging end 76 and by engagement of piston 58 in the bottom of cylinder 42. Thus, the entire structure is rigid, and no damage can result from an effort at reverse rotation. Instead, this firmness suggests to the operator that the crank be turned in the other, forward direction.

In operation, the user of gun 10 picks it up, and turns crank 80 in a clockwise direction as is shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. Such operation turns cam 82 so that drive face 90 engages under head 62. Continued turning of shaft 78 causes leftward motion of piston 58 by such engagement of drive face 90. As piston 58 is withdrawn from the solid line to the dotted line positions, spring 70 is flexed to its dotted line position. Slight further turning of cam 82 carries drive lug 86 out of the path of the head 62 so that head 62 is released. Thereupon spring 70 urges head 62 and piston 58 to the right from the dotted line position to the full line position. When striking leg 74 of the spring 70 engages on the interior of front wall 64 of the resonance chamber designated as magazine 20, a sharp noise is emitted. Continued turning of cam 82 continuously repeats this process.

When water is placed into reservoir 26 through water fill opening 30, water is available around inlet openings 54 and 56. Thus, when piston 58 is moved to the left by the action of one of the drive lugs, openings 54 and 56 are uncovered as the piston is moved out of the full line position. When these openings are opened, water gravitationally fills the chamber formed at the right hand end of cylinder 42 and defined by the interior cylindrical wall 48, face 60 and the reduced end of the cylinder defined by nozzle orifice 52. Under these conditions, when the drive lug releases head 62, spring 70 urges piston 58 to the right and water is emitted from openings 54 and 56 until the space 60 passes these openings. Thereupon the water is pressurized in the end of the cylinder and is discharged from nozzle orifice 52. Such discharge is directed centrally down tube 34 and is discharged out of the muzzle end thereof. Thus, continued turning of crank 80 and cam 82 causes repeated reciprocation of piston 58 and rapping of striking leg 74. Thus, repeated noise is created and if water is present in reservoir 26 repeated discharge of water out of nozzle 52. Thus, gun 10 creates both noise and discharge effects.

In the alternative embodiment shown in FIGS. 3 through 5, the water gun of this invention is generally indicated at 100. The Water gun 100 comprises stock 102, hand grip 104, trigger guard 106, receiver 108, magazine and barrel 112. These parts are virtually identical to the similar structure of gun 10. Barrel 112 contains reservoir 114 which is closed all around and fillable from the top similar to the reservoir 26. Reservoir 114 has a back wall 116 which defines the rear end of the reservoir 114 and a tube 118 which provides a water outlet passage. Tube 118 terminates in back wall 120. Pump cylinder 122 is positioned in openings in walls 116 and and is identical to the cylinder 42.

Piston 124 is reciprocable in cylinder 42 so as to pump water out of the nozzle therein as has been previously described. Piston 124 carries head 126 which is arranged for driving the piston, as is hereinafter described. Piston 124 extends rearwardly from head 126 and extends through guide 128 formed in the rear end of receiver 108. Compression spring 130 is positioned around the portion of piston 124 between head 126 and guide 128. This spring urges the piston 124 to the right so as to discharge water out of the nozzle in cylinder 122.

Cam 132 has drive lugs 134 positioned thereon. Cam 132 is mounted on shaft 136 which extends through receiver 108 and has crank 138 formed on the end, exterior of the receiver. Cam 132 is fixed to shaft 136 so that it rotates when the crank 138 is rotated. The exterior 140 of cam 132 is circular, except for the drive lugs 134 projecting beyond this circular exterior, and is so positioned that it just clears the exterior of head 126. Drive lugs 134 preferably have a cylindrical exterior surface which just clears the exterior of piston 124. Thus, as previously described with respect to the embodiment of gun 10, when the crank is turned the piston reciprocates to repeatedly discharge water from the nozzle in cylinder 122.

The noise making structure of gun 100 comprises striker 142 which has ridge 144 normally in resilient engagement with the side of magazine 110. Striker 142 is integrally formed with the side of receiver 108 and is divided therefrom by side slots 1'46 and 148 to provide adequate resiliency. Striker 142 has cam follower 150 integrally formed on the inner face thereof, Cam follower 166 faces the side of cam 132. Cam 132 in this embodiment has axially formed spiral cam slopes thereon. Three such slopes are provided and are positioned so that they correspond with the three drive lugs 134. As is seen in FIG. 6, the three spiral axially formed cam slopes reach maximum axial position at 152, 154 and 156 and each is followed by an axial shoulder, one of which is seen in FIG. 4 at 158. Thus, upon rotation of shaft 136 by crank 138, the cam 132 turns. The cam slopes successively come into engagement with cam follower 150 and cause bending of striker 142 away from magazine 110 so that ridge 144 is not in contact with the magazine. As the cam 132 rotates and the axial shoulder following each rise is reached, cam follower 150 snaps off of the shoulder, and ridge 144 sharply strikes the side of magazine 110 to cause a proper, realistic sound. The hollow configuration and open bottom of magazine 110 act as a resonance chamber to amplify the sound. Thus, as the crank 138 is turned, the sound is repeated and the piston repeatedly reciprocates. Damage upon reverse turning of crank 138 is prevented by one of the shoulders, for example shoulder on the side of cam follower 150 to prevent further turning. Thus, it is seen that the water gun 1% functions similarly and is of similar construction to water gun 10.

This invention having been described in a preferred and an alternative embodiment, it is clear that it is susceptible to numerous modifications and changes within the scope of this invention and within the scope of one skilled in the art, without the application of the inventive faculty. Accordingly, the scope of this invention is defined by the scope of the following claims.

We claim:

1. A toy gun, said toy gun comprising:

sound making means, water pumping means and drive means;

said water pumping means comprising a water reservoir and a cylinder, said cylinder being connected to a nozzle orifice, said cylinder having cylindrical interior wall, an opening from said interior wall to said reservoir, said opening being spaced from said orifice nozzle, a piston in said cylinder, said piston having a head end;

said sound making means including a resonance chamber, said resonance chamber having a wall, a striker, said striker being engageable with said resonance chamber wall;

a spring, said spring being engaged with said head end of said piston so as to urge said piston toward said orifice nozzle and past said opening in said cylinder wall, piston drive means, said piston drive means being arranged to move said piston against the urging of said spring, said drive means releasably engaging said piston so that when said piston is moved by said drive means and released thereby, said spring urges said piston in such a direction as to discharge water from said nozzle orifice, said piston drive means acting on said striker so that it strikes said resonance chamber wall.

2. The toy gun of claim 1 wherein said head end of said piston comprises a head upon said piston of larger dimension than said piston, said spring engaging upon said piston head, said drive means engaging said piston head to move said piston against the urge of said spring.

3. The toy gun of claim 2 wherein said drive means is a cam, said cam having a substantially cylindrical outer surface and a drive lug extending past said cylindrical outer surface, said drive lug having a drive face parallel to a radius of said cam passing through said drive lug, said cam being positioned adjacent said piston head, said drive face being adapted to engage said piston head to draw said piston from the nozzle orifice end of said cylinder.

4. The toy gun of claim 3 wherein said cam is rotatable, a shaft through said gun, said cam being mounted upon said shaft so that rotation of said shaft causes rotation of said cam, manual drive means on said shaft for rotatably driving said shaft.

5. The toy gun of claim 4 wherein said spring comprises said striker.

6. The toy gun of claim 4 wherein said striker is integrally formed as a part of said receiver and is arranged to strike said resonance chamber, said cam having cam surfaces thereon, said cam surfaces acting with said striker so as to repeatedly cause said striker to strike said resonance chamber upon rotation of said cam.

7. The toy gun of claim 4 wherein said drive lug has a back face parallel to said drive face.

8. A toy gun, said toy gun comprising:

sound making means, water pumping means and drive means;

said Water pumping means comprising a reservoir having enclosing walls, said water reservoir having a filler opening and having a back wall, a tube, said tube having a back Wall and being positioned adjacent said reservoir, said tube being open on its end away from said back wall, a cylinder, said cylinder extending through said back wall of said reservoir and through said back wall of said tube, a cylindrical bore within said cylinder, said cylindrical bore extending from adjacent said back wall of said reservoir to adjacent said back Wall of said tube, a nozzle orifice in said cylinder, said nozzle orifice extending from said cylindrical bore into said tube, an opening from the interior of said cylinder to the exterior thereof so that said reservoir is opened to said cylinder, a piston in said cylinder, said piston having a piston face movable from adjacent said opening to adjacent said nozzle orifice, a drive head on said piston away from said cylinder, said drive head being of greater dimension than said piston;

said noise making means comprising a resonance chamher having first and second walls, said first and second walls facing each other, a spring in said resonance chamber, said spring having a fixed leg adjacent the first wall and a second leg adjacent said second wall, said striking leg being adapted to lie against said second wall and said spring being stressed when said striking leg lies against said second wall, an engaging end on said spring secured to said striking leg, said engaging end engaging with said piston head so as to urge said piston head to move said piston face from adjacent said cylinder opening toward said nozzle orifice, said striking leg lying against said second wall when said piston face is adjacent said nozzle orifice; said drive means comprising a manually rotatable shaft, a cam on said manually rotatable shaft and arranged to rotate therewith, said cam being positioned adjacent said piston head, said cam having a substantially cylindrical outer surface of such dimension as to be spaced from said piston head, a drive lug on said cam, said drive lug extending outwardly from said cylindrical outer surface, said drive lug having a drive face and a back face, each of said faces being substantially planar and being parallel to each other, said drive faces being parallel to a radius passing through said drive lug, said drive means being arranged so that rotation of said cam causes engagement of said drive face with said piston head and movement of said piston head so that said piston face moves away from 7 said nozzle orifice to at least partially open said opening from said cylinder into said reservoir so that Water in said reservoir can fill said cylinder and causes stressing of said spring and movement of said striking leg away from said second Wall and further move- 5 therefrom and said striking leg strikes said second 1 wall to emit a sound.

8 References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS LOUIS G. MANCENE, Primary Examiner.

0 ROBERT F. CUTTING, Assistant Examiner. 

8. A TOY GUN, SAID TOY GUN COMPRISING: SOUND MAKING MEANS, WATER PUMPING MEANS AND DRIVE MEANS; SAID WATER PUMPING MEANS COMPRISING A RESERVOIR HAVING ENCLOSING WALLS, SAID WATER RESERVOIR HAVING A FILLER OPENING AND HAVING A BACK WALL, A TUBE, SAID TUBE HAVING A BACK WALL AND BEING POSITIONED ADJACENT SAID RESERVOIR, SAID TUBE BEING OPEN ON ITS END AWAY FROM SAID BACK WALL, A CYLINDER, SAID CYLINDER EXTENDING THROUGH SAID BACK WALL OF SAID RESERVOIR AND THROUGH SAID BACK WALL OF SAID TUBE, A CYLINDRICAL BORE WITHIN SAID CYLINDER, SAID CYLINDRICAL BORE EXTENDING FROM ADJACENT SAID BACK WALL OF SAID RESERVOIR TO ADJACENT SAID BACK WALL OF SAID TUBE, A NOZZLE OREFICE IN SAID CYLINDER, SAID NOZZLE ORIFICE EXTENDING FROM SAID CYLINDRICAL BORE INTO SAID TUBE, AN OPENING FROM THE INTERIOR OF SAID CYLINDER TO THE EXTERIOR THEREOF SO THAT SAID RESERVOIR IS OPENED TO SAID CYLINDER, A PISTON IN SAID CYLINDER, SAID PISTON HAVING A PISTON FACE MOVABLE FROM ADJACENT SAID OPENING TO ADJACENT SAID NOZZLE ORIFICE, A DRIVE HEAD ON SAID PISTON AWAY FROM SAID CYLINDER, SAID DRIVE HEAD BEING OF GREATER DIMENSION THAN SAID PISTON; SAID NOISE MAKING MEANS COMPRISING A RESONANCE CHAMBER HAVING FIRST AND SECOND WALLS, SAID FIRST AND SECOND WALLS FACING EACH OTHER, A SPRING IN SAID RESONANCE CHAMBER, SAID SPRING HAVING A FIXED LEG ADJACENT THE FIRST WALL AND A SECOND LEG ADJACENT SAID SECOND WALL, SAID STRIKING LEG BEING ADAPTED TO LIE AGAINST SAID SECOND WALL AND SAID SPRING BEING STRESSED WHEN SAID STRIKING LEG LIES AGAINST SAID SECOND WALL, AN ENGAGING END ON SAID SPRING SECURED TO SAID STRIKING LEG, SAID ENGAGING END ENGAGING WITH SAID PISTON HEAD SO AS TO URGE SAID PISTON HEAD TO MOVE SAID PISTON FACE FROM ADJACENT SAID CYLINDER OPENING TOWARD SAID NOZZLE ORIFICE, SAID STRIKING LEG LYING AGAINST SAID SECOND WALL WHEN SAID PISTON FACE IS ADJACENT SAID NOZZLE ORIFICE; 